Last posting times for Christmas

Are you in the habit of finding your Christmas presents arrive on 28 December? This year it might be time to get your festive act together by making a note of the last UK delivery times for those carefully-selected gifts. Leave the rest up to Santa.

Amazon is every lazy gift-giver’s first port of call. They will even gift-wrap that present and put a nice festive note in the parcel. Post before midnight on December 18 for free super saver delivery, by midnight on December 21 for first-class deliveries, and by 6pm on December 23 for express delivery. If the recipient lives in a major city, it is possible to order up to 8.30 am on December 24 in time for delivery that evening. Check the website for the relevant postcodes.

For consumer electronics, Currys and Dixons will both deliver before Christmas if you order before 3.30pm on December 23.

John Lewis, middle England’s favourite department store, will deliver gifts ordered before 3pm on December 21.

Tesco Direct offers Christmas delivery on large items for gifts ordered by December 20. Smaller items and clothing can be delivered if ordered by 3pm on December 22. If you are ordering a case of wine to help you get through the festive season, order by 12pm on December 22.

For those quaint shoppers who still use the Royal Mail, post by the end of December 14 for standard parcels, and by the end of December 22 for the Parcelforce express24 service. It appears to have become Parcelforce express48 for Christmas.